In order to win business from prospective clients, you will, at some point, have to show them images you have taken from past events. Even if you have never been the designated photographer at a wedding, you will still need to be able to show your skills and creativity in order to for you to be hired. Go to a friends wedding and take some photos, or ask the bride if you can take some shots of her in return for a free print.
Showing sample pictures you have taken is probably the best way to get an order for a wedding event. There are of course, many ways to show your pictures, for instance, on a web page or in an album with printed images to show prospective clients.
But in this day and age of technology, there is another way to show your images. One that will allow you to have you album with you at all times. One that will show off your pictures in all their beautiful color. One that allows your potential client to see your work in glorious detail. I am referring to portable devices with high resolution color LCD screens.
An ideal device for the purpose is the Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. In this article, I will use the term iPhone to refer to both devices. The beauty of this device, is that in most cases, you need to have a cell phone with you so you can make and receive calls, especially from clients or prospective clients. But at any time, you can show images to people you meet. The iPhone is so portable and functional, it allows you to create many digital albums. You can have an album of wedding images, or you can split wedding photos into multiple albums, and create albums of themes. For instance, a series of brides in outdoor locations. Or sunsets, at the church etc. The iPhone is very flexible, and you can set it up in so many different ways.
You can also have a number of albums that show off images that you take for your own enjoyment. Such as landscapes, or portraits of family groups. Again, having all these albums on one device, means that you can tailor a presentation to just about anyone you meet, for almost any occasion.
And do not forget, you can use it to promote yourself as a product or advertising photographer. Whenever you meet people, if they are in business for themselves, you may have an opportunity to promote your services for their business. They may need some shots of their building for a promotion, or the products they sell for advertising, or for marketing materials, such as flyers or postcards.
With a device such as the iPhone, you will always be ready to promote yourself and your services. You may have a website, but you will not always be at a computer with an internet connection. And sometimes, you may not be able to access your website from some computers, especially in corporate settings, where many sites are blocked if it is not within the corporate web intranet. And although you can always access the web with your iPhone wherever you are, it is always easier to use the iPhone to display your images, quickly and easily.
And of course, if you use these types of devices, you will be able to take advantage of the many other features they provide. You will always have access to email, so if anyone is trying to reply to you about a booking, you can do so while on the road at all times. If you need to send a quote, you can do so easily. If you need to check your calendar for upcoming appointments or events, you can easily check these items. You may even come across an interesting location for photography, and so you can take a photo and place it into your database, always able to refer back to the location at any time. As well, as being able to show the location to a prospective client as a potential place for photos on the important day. You will also have your contact database, so you can make a call to your prospective clients and follow up on any questions they may have. In short, you will always be ready for any situation.
And lastly, but not always, least, you can play a game or two when you are waiting or perhaps enjoying a coffee at your favorite café. And if you have not looked at some of the games and other applications available for the iPhone and iPod touch, you will be amazed at the variety of applications available, starting from free to ten dollars. But, I digress. Never let it be said that I would encourage your use of these devices for anything other than serious business (yeah, right)!
